This invention relates to shelf support brackets and in particular to brackets of the type that support glass and marble shelf panels in a cantilevered fashion.
Cantilever shelf brackets for supporting inserted shelf panels, usually of wood, have been known for many years. In recent years, these have taken the form of extruded aluminum devices capable of receiving the shelf panel in a wedging action, as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,508,301 and 4,385,565. That is, the wood shelf panel of closely controlled thickness tolerance is placed under slightly deforming wedging stress during insertion, for secure retention of the assembled panel structure. While this works very well for certain materials such as wood or particle board, it is not desirable to apply such stresses to certain other materials particularly glass or marble. Breakage can result. This potential breakage problem is accentuated by the fact that glass panels for shelving tend to vary considerably in thickness. Therefore, a thicker panel either will not fit within the throat of the bracket or, if sufficient force is applied to wedge it in place, the stress is immediately too great. If a thin panel is inserted, it is not securely retained. Furthermore, the potential of breakage resulting from the stress is increased if any scratching of the glass occurs.